MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Behind late set scoring runs and an offense that was clicking, the Milwaukee volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep of Oakland on Tuesday afternoon. The Panthers totaled 49 kills in the three sets.
 
"This team has worked very hard for this," head coach Susie Johnson stated. "They are an extremely coachable and hungry to get better and I'm proud of them for that."
 
The Panthers' offense continued to heat up throughout Tuesday's match, improving its hitting percentage each set.
 
After fighting to a tie, Oakland (5-9, 5-9 Horizon League) scored three straight kills to pull ahead 22-19 in the first frame.
 
Milwaukee (6-6, 6-6 Horizon League) battled back, however, and kills from Abby Koenen and Kleja Cerniauskaite fueled a 6-0 run as the Panthers took a 25-22 victory.
 
It was tight in the early going in set two as well, but another late run had Milwaukee in control. Tied 14-14, Mati Jakscht served nine straight points for the Panthers in a 10-1 run to put MKE in front 2-0.
 
"It's awesome to see them learning from the past and continue to grow," Johnson continued. "They are capitalizing on the moments and finishing which is great to see."  
 
The offense showed no signs of slowing down in set three as Milwaukee put away nine kills in its first 11 swings to pull in front 11-4.
 
The Panthers rode that momentum and hit .333 in the third frame for a 25-18 victory.
 
Heilemann led Milwaukee with 15 kills while Cerniauskaite put away 14, her second straight match in double figures.
 
The setter duo of Kaley Blake and Rylie Vaughn stood out once again, as each recorded a double-double, totaling 41 assists and 20 digs.
 
Jess Grabowski totaled a team-high 14 digs while Sarah Schrader had a career-high 13.
 
The Panthers will next close the regular season as they head to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on Purdue Fort Wayne in a single-day doubleheader. The first match begins at 10:00 am with live coverage on MKEPanthers.com.